In modern steelmaking practice, metal is solidified into a semi-finished product, such as a billet, bloom, coil, slab, or the like. The semi-finished mill product is then transported from the caster to a pre-heat furnace at a finishing mill for subsequent rolling.
Conventional technology usually is to pick up the semi-finished mill product from above and place it on an open flatbed vehicle or other, which transports the product to the hot mill or other location. Most mill products are often transported in the same conventional way.